How to Sell Paparazzi Photos

"Paparazzi" are photographers who take candid photos of celebrities or other notable people and then sell those photos to news agencies or publications. Many celebrities dislike paparazzi because the photographers all but stalk the celebrities as they go about their private lives. Frequently, paparazzi are not professional photographers, but instead regular people who have learned the tricks of the trade in shooting and selling celebrity pictures.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Camera or camera phone

1. Avoid large events like premieres and award shows. So many paparazzi attend these events that the photos you take will most likely be worthless since so many people have similar pictures to sell.

2. Investigate and find out where celebrities hang out. Ask cab drivers, hotel staff, nightclub personnel and others who might be in the know where you can find celebrities both in their daily routines and while on vacation. Be prepared to tip these people for their information. Once you have an idea where to find celebrities, stake them out inconspicuously.

3. Catch a celebrity in a compromising position or doing something unusual. Photos of a celebrity committing adultery, doing drugs, arguing, shoplifting or picking his nose are worth more money.

4. Find a buyer and do so quickly because the longer you sit on a photograph, the less valuable it becomes. If your pictures are big news, then you can probably sell directly to a tabloid publication--contact more than one tabloid to start a bidding war that will eventually earn you more money for your photo. If your photos are not as exclusive or valuable, find an agency to act as a middleman between you and the tabloid. These agencies will take a commission in exchange for their services.

5. Establish ownership of your photos prior to distribution so that dishonest buyers cannot steal them. Develop your pictures and either score them down the middle with a knife or use photo-editing software to create a watermark. Scan the photos back into your computer and email them to your buyer in this altered form as proof of what the buyer is getting. Once you sign a contract, give your buyer the original photo without the score lines or watermark.

6. Review your sales contract so that you understand which rights you will bargain away and which you retain. Confirm that the contract properly reflects the form and timing of payment. Consider hiring an attorney to review the contract if you need clarification--this might be particularly useful if you sell a highly valuable photo or simply sell frequently.

7. Confirm that your buyer uses your photo as specified in the contract. Check the publication to make sure that your photo runs only as many times as indicated in the contract and that the photo appears only in those publications you authorized.

Tips & Warnings

• Oftentimes, the worse a celebrity looks in a photograph, the more valuable the picture.
• The method of payment is variable. You can negotiate for an advance fee with subsequent royalties or a simple flat fee
• Don't trespass on private property to get a photo. You might face prosecution as a result and buyers will not generally purchase photos that subject them to liability.
• Know the laws on photo-taking in foreign countries. In some countries, such as Germany, it is illegal to take unauthorized photos of someone.
• Don't send photos as a picture message from your cell phone. This makes it difficult to establish that you own the photo and you are likely to have your photo stolen this way.

Resources

• US Weekly Magazine contact information
• People Magazine contact information
• Star Magazine contact information